A Gag Order? Really?

Do you remember Jared Marcum? He is the West Virginia 8th grader who was suspended and arrested for wearing a pro-Second Amendment t-shirt in school this year.

It was the image of a gun printed on Jared’s t-shirt that sparked a dispute between a Logan Middle School teacher and Jared, that ended with Jared suspended, arrested and facing two charges, obstruction and disturbing the education process, on his otherwise spotless record.

The school’s policy prohibits clothing that depicts images of violence, profanity or discrimination. The policy apparently doesn’t say anything about firearms, and the kid believes he did nothing wrong.

Nearly two weeks before Jared, the 14-year-old at the center of the “T-Shirt Control Controversy”, was scheduled to be back in court, he found himself inside of the Logan County Courthouse for an emergency gag order hearing requested by prosecutors Christopher White and Sabrina Deskins.

“We were here because the prosecution filed a motion for a gag order,” Jared’s attorney Ben White said. “My opinion is because, seemingly, they want to take it out of the court of public opinion.”

Think of the folly of prosecuting a teen for wearing a shirt – a shirt that doesn’t advocate violence, prejudice or profanity, but merely affirms the kid’s respect for the Second Amendment to the US Constitution. And then… trying to force the child’s family to shut up about the gross injustice being carried out in Logan County, WV.

Now, it looks like the prosecution dropped its stupid gag order motion on the condition that Jared’s family allow them to speak freely (read: malign) about the case – something they were prohibited from doing owing to the child’s age.

Meanwhile, the teenager faces a maximum sentence of a year in jail, or juvenile confinement and up to a $500 fine if found guilty of an obstruction charge stemming from his refusal to “stop talking” when police arrived at Logan Middle School to arrest him in April.

I’m a teacher in WV. The last day of school, two kids wore pro NRA t-shirts depicting guns. I said nothing to them. Thankfully, no one was hurt.

We have violations of the dress code in our school occasionally. Sometimes, the violators get obstinate. We’ve never had to call the police; we call their parents to come and get them, or we put them in a detention room.

What I’d like to hear is, what led the prinicpal to call the cops? Can he not handle his students? Only if a student presents a physical threat to the staff or students would we call. No one has said that Marcum did that.

It sounds like to me that this principal needs to learn how to be one.

I don’t see how a shirt with a picture of a firearm on it is cause for concern for anyone. Apparently, the kid refused to take the shirt off, and they called the cops, because he was being obstinate. The shirt didn’t violate any regulations. It didn’t depict violence, prejudice or profanity. So why demand he remove the shirt?

The agenda here is to indoctrinate and terrify today’s youth into submission, and to silence any who oppose their agenda, by force, if necessary. “Guns are Bad. Freedom of speech is Bad. Unless you’re praising Obama. He’s the most awesomely awesome person full of awesomeness to ever walk upon this lowly and undeserving planet. He’s…he’s…he’s…oh! OH, MY OBAMA! Excuse me, I just came in my shorts. I’ll be right back.”

Vic, you should be ashamed of yourself, talking so awesomely awesome of the awesomeness of his great awesomeness you made me get a thrill up my leg, now I have to take a shower, please stop! (that clears me with the NSA?)

When I was in HS back in the 1950’s, it was common to bring one’s gun TO SCHOOL in November and December so one could “hunt your way home” during rabbit season in Indiana. We NEVER had a single incident where someone was shot. The first shooting on my old HS campus occurred in the late 1960’s AFTER school busing was instituted by court order when a bused-in black girl student shot HER OWN BROTHER in the parking lot with a .38 revolver she’d carried to school in her purse. It seems they’d been having an argument, so she pulled the gun and SHOT him…dead.

Rob

Hi, I'm Rob. I used to blog at Northern Virginia Conservative, but Nicki got way more hits anyhow, so I moved over here. My language is somewhat less colorful than hers, but I also get pretty passionate.

I'm a liberty Republican activist, and work in fundraising right now during the day.